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Gift Giving Guide… BFG Style!

It’s the gift giving season. That means we have to go down our list of friends and family to figure out the ideal gift for each one. Do you have as much trouble as I do?

Each person on our list is unique and important to us. And they each deserve their own unique and important gift. Do we go creative? Homemade? Easy? I’m not going to go into too many specifics of what I’m giving people on here as Christmas is still a week away and some of my friends read my blog. But see if you can empathize with my plight.

I want to be the world’s best gift giver. I like to find the perfect gift that matches the personality of the receiver. I want them to open it and break into tears. I want them to be tremendously impressed that I remembered something they mentioned 6 moths ago. I want their faces to light up with joy the second they realize what’s in the wrapping.

Here are a few simple things I consider when selecting a gift…

Will the receiver like it? Does the gift I give fit the interests of the one who has to take it home? Or will it end up being re-gifted next Christmas to their I-don’t-know-what-to-get-them friend?

Will it be cluttering up my house? Is it a new version of something we have already? A Star Wars blanket? Doctor Who Risk? Is it large and unnecessary? I’ve avoided buying things for my kids that are big or awkward just because they take up space. However, we did get a giant pillow for the daughter of a friend of ours! 😉

Is it a gift card? I hate buying gift cards! It doesn’t feel like I’ve proven that I’m the best gift giver in the world. It’s the kind of gift that just screams, “I put no thought whatsoever into this gift!” Yet, it happens every year.

Here are a few of the people on my list:

The Nerdling ~ My daughter is 10 years old, still loves stuffed animals and is about the most girly girl ever. But she’s at this in-between stage where she’s really too old for little girl stuff, and not quite into clothes or tween interests. How do you shop for a kid like that!? I really do not want to get her any more stuffed animals! Her room is a zoo already! On the big-ticket expensive items, she tells us not worry about it, because she’ll just ask Santa…

Geek Spawn ~ My son is getting easier, because he is turning into as big of geek as his parents. So, if we’re really in a crunch, we could just go to ThinkGeek.com, close our eyes and point at something perfect for him!

The Wifey ~ Usually I do pretty good with her. Admittedly, sometimes what I get her is as much for me as her. Clothes I wish she would wear, etc. 🙂 My struggle with her is that it’s hard to read her reactions. She doesn’t do the “Really!? Is this what this is!?” face. How am I supposed to know how awesome I am at gift giving!? (She reads my blog). My struggle with ME is that I say stupid things like, “I don’t know if you’ll like this, but…” or “This one’s not very good…”

My parents ~ I never know. My dad is one of those people that we know likes certain subjects, so he tends to get a LOT of things revolving around those subjects. Books, cars, trains, Duck Dynasty… With my mom, we’re lost every year.

My brothers ~ They live far away and one flies here. That means nothing bulky. They’ve actually just started asking for gift cards! Am I good gift-giver because I give them what they want? Or a bad one because I give them a gift card?

My BFF ~ He’s a lot easier because we have similar interests. Disneyland, 80s, and other awesome stuff! This year I got him a Kermit the Frog Chia head. …And he liked it!

My Pastor/Boss ~ Ummmmm………….. Okay, it’s a gift card! 😦

When you care enough to send the very best.

Me ~ I like to think I’m easy to shop for. Geekly interests, DVDs, Walt Disney and Disneyland. However, I have a habit of just getting things for myself throughout the year. On Black Friday, I came home with about 20 DVDs. All for me! So, I guess maybe I’m as difficult as the next guy!

Maybe you don’t struggle like I do. Maybe you have next year’s present bought by Boxing Day. What are your secrets and tips for gift giving? What has worked out best for you in the past? What has been the best-received present you’ve given? Talk to me!

Merry Christmas!

Rule #1: You talk about Blogs From Geekdom. Rule #2: You TALK about Blogs From Geekdom!!!

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2 thoughts on “Gift Giving Guide… BFG Style!”

This year I have made it very clear to my family that an Amazon gift card is the only thing on my list. Anything else can be for our first baby (a girl) due in mid January.

Gift giving has always been something of a struggle for me. I too want to get them something useful or fun. Something they will actually use. This year is just as confusing as all the rest. (Yes, I’m still not done shopping. *sigh)

I know what you mean. I just ordered for my wife from Amazon today. But I don’t think it’ll get here till the day after Christmas. Oh well. I can always save it for Valentine’s Day. 🙂
I also need to get a couple of gift cards….